Roorkhee camp chair, used by Colonel C J Long, Royal Artillery, Boer War (1899-1902)

The Roorkhee chair is a practical piece of robust camp furniture designed by and for the use of British service personnel in the rugged terrain of Africa and India. Roorkhee, where the chair is believed to have originated, was a military cantonment and headquarters of the Bengal Sappers. It is now a city in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.

Colonel Charles James Long (1849-1933) served in the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880) and the 2nd Sudan War (1896-1899). During the Boer War (1899-1902) he commanded the garrison at Escourt. At the Battle of Colenso, intending to give the attacking infantry the closest possible support, Long moved 14th and 66th Batteries, Royal Field Artillery into the open to within 900 metres of the Boers, who subjected them to intense artillery and rifle fire. When their ammunition was almost exhausted, the crews unharnessed the horse teams and abandoned the guns. Lieutenant Frederick Roberts (1872-1899), King's Royal Rifle Corps, only son of Lord Roberts, was mortally wounded in the subsequent attempt to recover the artillery pieces. Long, severely wounded during the battle, was held responsible for the loss of ten guns.